Whether it’s hunters, boaters, gun owners, fisherman or anyone who now realizes the importance of preparing for a natural or some other disaster, the number of people who understand the value and necessity of self-reliance in the event of an emergency is growing…rapidly! Are you seeking the best new business opportunities? Capitalizing on this undeniable and measurable trend, J.R. Fisher has leveraged his considerable expertise in the survival and preparedness arena to create a fantastic and comprehensive business opportunity focused on the long-term storage of food.

His company, Survival Cave Food, is now one of the premier manufacturers of tasty survival/emergency food in the country, featuring a complete line of freeze-dried and dehydrated meals that are “just add water,” as well as the only “ready to eat” canned meat in America labeled for long-term food storage. While Survival Cave Food products are a natural fit for virtually any retail store with an outdoor orientation, they also sell extremely well at gun shows, home shows, prepper shows, hunting and fishing shows and, of course, over the internet. In fact, some of the company’s current distributors make as much as $5,000 to $8,000 per day per show or anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 a month simply by marketing their products via their own website.

Given J.R.’s incredible level of success and his knowledge about not only his particular industry, but entrepreneurship in general, we knew he’d have a lot of valuable insight and advice to share on some of the subjects we here at BusinessOpportunity.com’s Entrepreneur Exchange like to talk about most.

Here is what he had to say:

How does someone know if they have what it takes to own their own business? Tell us a bit about how you made the decision and why.

It really is difficult to know if you have what it takes to run a business before you do it. There ARE, however, a number of red flag issues that you need to think about and that are indications you may not make it, so I have listed a few of those below:

1. Don’t get a business so that you can take more time off. In all reality, owning your own business will take much more time than working for someone else.

2. Don’t get a business so you can boss other people around while you watch them work. To have a successful business you will have to be able and willing to do every task at your company and be willing to train others to do so also.

3. Don’t get a business to immediately increase your income. While most business owners do make more than those people who are employed by companies, in the beginning you have to be willing to make sacrifices of your time and money so that you can reap the rewards later.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your first six months in business? How did you meet that challenge?

It is important to remember that all of your estimates are just that, estimates. Your sales may not be what you want, and your investment will probably cost you more than you anticipate. Be prepared to meet your financial obligations at up to double or more than what you estimate.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing business owners today and why? Any suggestions for how to address those challenges?

I think you can’t underestimate the effect of the internet and technology. You need to be willing to learn all of the techniques to advertise and promote your business through social media. You also have to be able to learn about websites and digital commerce. If you pay other people to do this in the beginning without knowing what they are doing, you certainly will lose money.

What is the single strongest piece of advice you would have for someone just starting out in business for themselves?

Sacrifice, work, sacrifice and work some more!

What would you say is the one thing that new business owners forget about or overlook when they’re just planning/starting out?

They need to realize that they will need to continue to learn new strategies and educate themselves constantly.

What marketing strategies have you found to be most successful in growing your business?

Social media is a huge game changer, and you need to devote a portion of every day to learning and using these types of channels.

What is it about the business/industry you are in that made it so attractive to you?

I feel that people are finally realizing that they need to prepare for disasters, and food is the one thing that everyone in the world needs to have a sufficient supply of in order to be prepared. This makes our product one that everyone needs. The demand speaks for itself.

After the initial start-up phase in business, what obstacles do business owners face as they try to grow their business and remain successful? Any advice for how to overcome those obstacles?

Remember to put more money in the business than you take out. If you constantly remove your profits, you won’t be able to grow your business.

What on-line, software or other resources have helped you the most in managing all aspects of your company? Why and how have they been helpful?

I really like ConstantContact.com and Oprius.com. Constant Contact lets us connect with our customers through emails and social media, and Oprius is a wonderful tool for contact management.

What did you do before you decided to become your own boss, and how have those skills helped you in your current business?

I was the general manager of new car dealerships for many years and the sales skills, employee management, advertising and financial training experience I gained as a result has served me well.

What process do you follow to successfully close on a lead and make the final sale? Any tips?

Always understand that the lead you are pursuing needs to see how your product will benefit them. You need to educate the lead on that front first, and then you can demonstrate how your product will fill that need.

If you work from home, what are the greatest benefits to doing so? What are the drawbacks, and how do you manage them?

I don’t work from home but do admire my distributors that do. We have grown too large for this to be an option for me at this point.

If you own more than one business, how have you integrated your businesses to juggle it all successfully? Any suggestions?

We do retail sales of our products and drop ship for our distributors. I always feel that educating our distributors is more satisfying because I enjoy training others on how to make a living for themselves.

If you bought into an already existing business opportunity, distributorship, licensee opportunity or small franchise, how and why did you make that choice?

I started our company from the ground up, but we have grown it to a point where we have distributors nationwide.

What is/are your favorite motto and/or quote when it comes to business? Any final words of encouragement and/or inspiration for the budding entrepreneur?

Work more than your employees and set an example. Come in earlier, stay later and always be the best employee at your company. We are very lucky to have a fantastic group of distributors nationwide, and we make sure we let them know how valuable they are to us.

More about J.R. Fisher and the Survival Cave Food Business Opportunity:

In addition to being an established entrepreneur and expert on the subject of survival and self-reliance, J.R. Fisher is a nationally recognized, entertaining and educational speaker who emphasizes a commonsense approach to emergency preparedness. His company, Survival Cave Food, has become an industry leader in the pre-packaged, long-term food storage industry and offers a proven business model for success that includes training and marketing support.